Thursday, December 19News That Matters

Tag: climate

World Largest One Trillion Iceberg Melt Down After Decades of Stillness

World Largest One Trillion Iceberg Melt Down After Decades of Stillness

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment
The world’s largest and oldest iceberg, A23a, has broken free after decades of being grounded on the seabed near Antarctica. This colossal "mega-berg," weighing over a trillion tonnes and spanning an area twice the size of Greater London, is now drifting into the Southern Ocean. A23a was calved from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, marking the beginning of its extraordinary journey. For over 30 years, it remained grounded on the seabed of the Weddell Sea. In 2020, it began to shift northward, but its progress was slowed by a Taylor Column, an oceanographic phenomenon that kept it spinning in one spot for months. Dr. Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, remarked, “It’s exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck. We are curi...
Delhi Experiences Coldest December Day in Three Years at 4.5°C

Delhi Experiences Coldest December Day in Three Years at 4.5°C

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Thursday marked Delhi's coldest December day in three years as the minimum temperature plummeted to 4.5°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Cold wave conditions gripped the city, with temperatures in the Pusa and Ayangar areas dropping even further to 3.2°C and 3.8°C, respectively. The IMD defines a cold wave as temperatures below 4.1°C or a deviation of over 4.4°C below normal. Thursday's 4.5°C minimum was 0.4°C below the average, and significantly lower than the 5°C recorded the previous day. December temperatures hadn’t dipped below 4.9°C in 2022 or 2023, with the lowest in December 2023 being 4.9°C and 5°C in December 2022. The IMD forecasts further cold wave conditions for Delhi on Friday, with the minimum temperature expected to hover around 4°C. Clear sk...
Tamil Nadu Declares School Holiday Amid Heavy Rains

Tamil Nadu Declares School Holiday Amid Heavy Rains

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Chennai, December 12, 2024 – Schools in several districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu, will remain closed today due to heavy rainfall. District collectors in Salem, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, and Ramanathapuram have also announced holidays for schools, while in Tiruvannamalai, both schools and colleges will remain shut. Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore has postponed its November and December exams due to weather conditions. Rainfall of up to 8 cm has been recorded in several areas, including Karaikal and parts of Chennai. Authorities have urged residents to stay alert and follow updates as the situation develops. From News Desk
2024 Declared Hottest Year on Record, Climate Crisis Deepens

2024 Declared Hottest Year on Record, Climate Crisis Deepens

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
The year 2024 has officially been declared the hottest on record, surpassing the previous high set in 2023, highlighting the escalating impacts of climate change. Experts warn that this unprecedented temperature rise is a clear indicator of the crisis facing ecosystems, economies, and public health worldwide. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that November 2024 was the second warmest in 123 years, with an average temperature of 29.37°C. The delayed onset of winter has underscored concerns about the far-reaching effects of global warming. Professor S.N. Mishra, a leading climate expert, stated, "Unchecked greenhouse gas emissions are driving us toward catastrophic outcomes. We may breach the critical 1.5°C global warming threshold as early as 2030." The consequence...
Study Finds Global Cities Falling Short on Tree Canopy Cover for Urban Health

Study Finds Global Cities Falling Short on Tree Canopy Cover for Urban Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
New research analyzing access to urban greenery across eight major global cities, including Melbourne and Sydney, reveals alarming gaps in tree canopy cover, despite the presence of visible trees. The study, published in Nature Communications, applies the ‘3-30-300’ rule, a sustainable cities benchmark, to evaluate urban nature access and its benefits. The '3-30-300' Rule Explained The rule, developed by Dutch urban forestry expert Professor Cecil Konijnendijk, suggests every home, school, and workplace should: Have a view of at least three trees. Be in a neighborhood with 30% tree canopy cover. Be within 300 meters of a park. While most buildings in the study met the "three trees" requirement, almost all cities fell short of the 30% canopy cover benchmark. Key Findi...
Climate Change Alters Avalanche Patterns in Switzerland: Wet Avalanches Set to Increase as Snowfall Declines

Climate Change Alters Avalanche Patterns in Switzerland: Wet Avalanches Set to Increase as Snowfall Declines

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
A recent study by Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) expert Stephanie Mayer reveals that less snowfall doesn't necessarily equate to fewer avalanches. Instead, climate change is shifting the nature of avalanche risks in Switzerland, particularly at elevations above 1,800 meters. Mayer’s research indicates that as temperatures rise, dry avalanches are likely to decrease, but they’ll be partially replaced by wet snow avalanches, especially at higher altitudes. These wet avalanches occur when part of the snowpack is moistened by rain or meltwater, making them challenging to control through traditional safety methods, such as artificial triggering. “Closing off endangered areas may be the only solution,” Mayer explains, highlighting the challenges this change pose...
Private Jet Carbon Emissions Surge 46% in Four Years Amid Calls for Regulation

Private Jet Carbon Emissions Surge 46% in Four Years Amid Calls for Regulation

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment
A new study reveals that carbon emissions from private jet travel increased by 46% between 2019 and 2023, spotlighting the ultra-luxury industry’s environmental impact and raising calls for regulation. Researchers from universities in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany found that private aviation released 15.6 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2023, often spiking around high-profile events like the Cannes Film Festival, World Cup, and climate summits. Despite contributing less than 2% of commercial aviation’s emissions, private jets have a far greater carbon footprint per passenger due to their exclusivity serving just 0.003% of the adult global population, each with an average net worth of $123 million. Many of the 18.7 million private flights tracked in the study were under 500 kilometers, with some...
UNFCCC Report: Developing Nations Require Up to $6.85 Trillion for Climate Goals by 2030

UNFCCC Report: Developing Nations Require Up to $6.85 Trillion for Climate Goals by 2030

Breaking News, Climate Actions
In a groundbreaking revelation, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has announced that developing countries will need between $5.012 trillion and $6.852 trillion to meet their climate commitments by 2030. This estimate, detailed in the second Needs Determination Report (NDR) released on September 10, 2024, significantly raises the stakes in global climate finance negotiations. The report, which updates figures from the initial 2021 NDR, represents a vital resource for informing decisions at the upcoming COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, where the contentious issue of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance will be debated. With developed nations already lagging behind in delivering the $100 billion annual climate finance goal, the updated fi...
New Study Warns of Imminent Tipping Points Through Climate Change on a Precipice

New Study Warns of Imminent Tipping Points Through Climate Change on a Precipice

Breaking News, Climate Actions
The Earth's climate is teetering on the edge, and uncertainty looms over which direction it will fall. A recent study from climate scientists at the University of Potsdam in Germany reveals that surpassing the Paris Agreement's primary goal could trigger a cascade of irreversible tipping points, pushing the planet into uncharted and potentially catastrophic territory. Led by researchers Tessa Möller and Annika Ernest Högner, the study investigates four critical tipping points: the collapse of the Atlantic Ocean's main current system, the Amazon rainforest, the Greenland ice sheet, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. These systems are integral to maintaining the planet's climate stability, and their failure could accelerate global warming beyond control. The findings come at a crucial j...
NASA Confirms Disturbing Climate Milestone: 12 Consecutive Months of Record High Temperatures

NASA Confirms Disturbing Climate Milestone: 12 Consecutive Months of Record High Temperatures

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Understanding the current climate crisis isn't just about grasping complex variables it's about confronting stark facts. Here's one that should grab attention: every single month over the past year has set a new global temperature record for that month. NASA's latest data for May 2024 continues a worrying trend of record-breaking temperatures observed since June 2023. April, March, February, and January all saw unprecedented highs, following a similar pattern throughout 2023, from June to December. "This streak is unprecedented in our records and signals a deepening climate crisis," states NASA administrator Bill Nelson. "Communities worldwide, from Arizona to California to Nevada, are experiencing extreme heat at levels never before seen." Clear Alarming Trend The graph depict...